Enhancing dietetic employability presented by Merran Blair, APD, PhD candidate
Dietitians looking for work or to change career can increase their employment potential by reflecting on the five employability capitals. Merran, who recently completed her doctoral thesis on employment and employability for graduate dietitians in Australia and New Zealand, explains each of the capitals in detail so we have understanding of the gaps which we can address to increase our employability.
- Human capital - skill development
- Psychological capital - resilience and adaptability
- Social capital - gathering and leveraging networks
- Identity capital - embodying being a dietitian
- Cultural capital - fitting in to a workplace
Merran Blair is an accredited practising dietitian and lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, at Monash University. She is an experienced private practice dietitian who supervises dietetic students in the private practice setting and thoroughly enjoys interacting with the next generation of the profession. Merran is fascinated by the juxtaposition of dietetic graduates reportedly struggling to find employment, while society continues to have so many issues relating to food, nutrition and health. She enjoys sharing the findings from her research with students and graduates to assist them in enhancing their own employability. Merran passionately believes that dietitians should be employed in all sectors of the community and hopes her research will assist in bringing this closer to reality.